Tuesday, September 25, 2012

TUESDAY TANGENT: Geek Cred

I have always been 'proud' of my geek status, but there are some elements of geek culture of which I am not a fan. This doesn't mean I do not like or even appreciate these things for what they are. It just means I do not 'love' them as many other 'geeks' do. In short, where many of my fellows go crazy for this stuff, I am just 'meh'. So yeah, essentially, this post is eroding some of my (admittedly prodigious) geek cred. So, without further ado, three geek things I am indifferent about:

1) Doctor WhoSimply put, the brand of sci-fi that this is just isn't my cup of tea. I prefer my sci-fi a bit less 'wacky' and a lot more grounded. While I realize how clever many of the stories are, and how long-running the series is, I have never been a big 'fan' of it and would not go out of my way to watch it. And no, it isn't just because of the crappy production values of the 'classic' series, or because I somehow don't 'get' how deep the story arcs are or even because I prefer more action to the cerebral adventures of the doctor. It is as I said: too wacky for me.

2) BladerunnerWhile I can appreciate the setting and special effects and even the mood evoked in this film, I was disappointed the first time I saw it. Admittedly, this was because I was expecting an action flick and got a noir film. Even so, I have watched this several times over the years, at different stages of 'maturity', and I do not find it particularly compelling, or even well acted. For me, it is all style and not a lot of substance. Yes, I know. Blasphemy. But there it is.

3) AnimeI enjoy some anime series (Starblazers, G-Force, Robotech, Outlaw Star, Cowboy Beebop)- I do so mainly because of the awesome spectacle of them- certainly NOT for the melodramatic characters and often bizarre story twists, to say nothing of the stereotypical sight-gags and visuals that I find annoying. In fact, I generally do not like the traditional big-eye anime look for characters- but I cannot deny that nobody can pull of starships and mecha like these films do. Below are some examples of what I find annoying in anime- the obstacles that will forever prevent me from becoming a 'fan':

a) the cartoonish BIG MOUTH YELLING when characters get angry. No matter how realistic or even 'serious' a series is, characters are suddenly distorted to ridiculous degrees. It is jarring to me. And the same can be said for the HASH MARK BLUSHING or GIANT WATER DROP SWEATING, or the ever present CHARACTER STANDS THERE QUIVERING, TEETH GRITTED AS THEY PONDER WHATEVER THE HELL for minutes on end, just eating up run time.

b) Annoyingly EMO characters. Okay, I understand characters have weaknesses- things they have to overcome, but my GOD. Rick Hunter- grow a pair of balls, please. And Minmei.. shut the hell up! So damn annoying. I swear, my first watch-through of Robotech, I was just biding the moments until the next giant mecha fight.

c) Lecherous old men. I understand. It's a Japanese thing. It just isn't funny. Sorry.

d) School Girl/Sailor outfits. I understand. It's a Japanese thing. It's still creepy.